History Left A Definite Mark At This One Fascinating Spot In Louisiana

Louisiana is full of historic landmarks that are worth a day trip to explore. Poverty Point, a World Heritage Site in Northeastern Louisiana, is the perfect adventure for anyone interested in history and learning about those that lived here thousands of years ago.

Mound A is one of the biggest aboriginal earthworks in the country, consisting of over 310,000 cubic yards of earth. That means that about 390,000 tons of soil would have had to have been carried in baskets and other primitive containers. If you estimate that each basket would carry roughly 50 lbs, then that’s about 15.5 million loads of soil to build just one mound.

The original purpose of Poverty Point still isn’t clear, but due to its proximity to Bayou Macon, its possible that it was a settlement, trading center, and possibly also used for religious ceremonies.

Artifacts that have been unearthed give archaeologists and historians an idea of what the area was used for, and you can view some of the artifacts in the visitor’s center. Arrowheads, intricate stone carvings, and more than 100 small clay figurines are just some of the artifacts that have been discovered.

Have you ever been to Poverty Point? Let us know in the comments below!